Colombo said considering alternate land route to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 September 2006, 19:56 GMT]Anura Priyadharsana Yapa, Minister of Media and Information, said Thursday the Sri Lanka Government is considering an alternate land route for Jaffna district instead of re-opening the A9 highway which is closed after fighting broke out in August between the government troops and the LTTE. However Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday announced that its parliamentarians would continue their sit-in-protest in Sri Lanka's parliament until the government re-opens the A9 highway and lifts the economic embargo on Northeast.

Mr.Anura Priyadharsana Yapa in reply to a question regarding the re-opening of A9 highway at the Cabinet press briefing held Thursday morning in Colombo said that the government is seriously considering an alternate land route to Jaffna.

He added talks should be conducted regarding the question of opening a land route to Jaffna.

Meanwhile, Rauff Hakim, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) speaking in the parliament Thursday said the parliament is not giving due recognition to the non-violent protest by TNA. The armed struggle was born in the country because of the failure of the government and parliament to take serious note of the non-violent protest of the aggrieved parties.